A Whole Lotta Lovin'
by Owl Writer
Summary: Snape plans some Valentine's Day fun. Pairings abound: Harry/Ron/Hermione. Neville/Ginny. Neville/Draco. Padma/Parvati/Peeves. Crabbe/Goyle. Post-OotP. Originally published in 2003, so several characters may seem off.


A/N: This was written almost five years ago at this point - shortly after the release of OotP. I wrote five of six chapters at the time, and never wrote the final chapter. This is my attempt at finishing the story, along with going back and cleaning up the entire thing along the way - things like Ginny's real first name, which the fandom was still assuming was Virginia when this was written. The ending is new, and it's a bit more fun than it would have been had I written it five years ago.

Upon rereading, Snape's a fair bit OOC, but then again they all are. It's been five years. If you read this with that in mind, his character doesn't seem so bad. Also, the ending is being posted without a beta, because frankly, I don't like this story that much now. It has its moments, but I'd rather spend time working on other things. House hunting and wedding planning are both on that list, and my normal beta (my soon to be wife) is in a musical that opens this evening. So no beta for any of the new stuff in this story (which is probably ten percent of the whole thing). I've also condensed the story into a one-shot, as there's no reason to have six very short chapters when one works just fine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. But then, neither do you.

_**A Whole Lotta Lovin'**_

On a quiet Monday morning in February, the majority of the Hogwarts sixth years stood outside the door to the dungeons, huddled together. Ice had begun to form on the stone walls, and the students could see their breath forming tiny clouds before their faces. For the first time in their lives, the students actually wanted to see Professor Snape, as the classroom they were waiting to enter was nearly always warmer than the hallway that led to it, due to the fires that were alight in the fireplace and beneath the cauldrons in the classroom.

Harry Potter was one of the few who would much rather stay outside in the cold than ever see Professor Snape. Freezing to death and Professor Snape were nearly equal in his mind, and as the large oaken door creaked open, revealing the sallow skinned ex-Death Eater, Harry felt a knot of resentment rise in him again. Snape had probably left them out there, shivering in the hallway; he would've thought it funny to see them all suffering out there in the frigid stone passageway as he sat before the fire in his office.

Harry and Snape glared at each other as they passed, Harry finally taking a seat in between Hermione and Neville. Ever since Ron admitted his feelings for Hermione a few months ago, Harry knew that Ron would sit next to her; he always did – and right now, Harry thought it best to separate Ron and Neville. The two weren't exactly getting along.

As he sat down next to Hermione, Ron shot daggers at Neville who smiled weakly back.

"You could try being _nice _to Neville, you know. He hasn't done anything to hurt you," Hermione said, admonishing Ron for the look she hadn't seen – only assumed.

"First Dean, now him!" Ron said through his teeth, so that Harry could only barely here him. He'd found out only moments before, when Hermione had let it slip that Ginny had been dating Neville now for nearly a month.

Harry tuned out the rest of their argument. He had been a little jealous of Ron and Hermione from the very beginning – he couldn't entirely feel what his feelings were but he knew it wasn't specific anger at either one of them. Part of him was envious of each of them for drawing the other away from him – making him into the third wheel whenever they did anything together, but deep down his feelings were more resentful that they had found happiness and he had not. Cho seemed a distant memory, and although Harry thought it a bit immature the way Ron was treating Neville, whenever Harry glanced left at the round faced boy next to him, he felt a pang of jealousy far sharper than any he'd ever felt towards Ron and Hermione.

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts – the last thing he needed was to get into trouble for daydreaming (although the particular daydream that was flashing across his mind made him very glad that he was no longer subject to Occlumency lessons – Snape would have been giddy at the potential blackmail material running through Harry's head, and Ron would have been furious had he known).

Daydreams or not, Snape had been particularly cruel to him since he'd managed an O.W.L. in potions, gaining entrance into the Advanced Potions course. Only about half of the sixth year students had done so – meaning that their class was no longer merely Gryffindor and Slytherin but a combination of students from all four houses. Many had assumed that with their O.W.L.s out of the way, their workload would lighten, if only for a year. But now the teachers were preparing them, not just for their N.E.W.T.s in their seventh year, but for the real world, and his and Ron's decision to continue Potions – all but necessary if they wished to become Aurors – was one he felt himself regretting every Monday morning.

Today was no exception. Upon the chalkboard before them were written the instructions of the most complicated potion Harry had ever seen. It would take the entire three hours just to mix all of the ingredients.

"You will find today's potion will almost assuredly appear upon your N.E.W.T. examination in another year. Despite your O.W.L.s, some of you" he threw a menacing sneer at Harry, "are _still _abysmal potion makers, and you will find the desired results of this potion will not be achieved if it is not produced _precisely_, per my instructions. You have three hours. As usual, at the end of this time you will be testing your potions upon yourselves. Begin."

Harry shook his head again and stared at the list of ingredients. Every Monday they'd brewed utterly impossible potions, and then been forced to test them on themselves. Those who'd only barely received an O.W.L. – Ron, Neville, and himself, included – usually ended up in the hospital wing afterwards, much to Snape's enjoyment. Invisibility potions, Veratiserum, and Essence of Second Sight – everything they'd brewed so far this term was (unlike some of the things they had concocted in past years) for human use. Harry wondered what devastation would occur when someone, inevitably, messed this potion up.

"Ugh, what do you suppose Snape's forcing us to drink this time?" Ron asked, just loud enough for Hermione and Harry to hear him.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "_Please. _You know what this is, don't you?" She looked between Harry and Ron, who both shook their heads. She took a deep breath and put on the haughty air she usually did whenever she thought Ron or Harry was being stupid and said, "Just make sure you get all of the ingredients in the right amounts or else."

"Or else what, _dear_," Ron asked, obviously attempting to provoke her into a row.

Hermione was not so dumb as to start a row, not right under Snape's nose. "Just follow the instructions and you'll… – we'll all be fine."

Three hours passed slowly. Harry found himself gazing stupidly at the board a few times, wondering where he was and which ingredient he had just added, and more importantly what he needed to add next.

Finally, when Snape observed that most of the students had at least come close to finishing their potions, he stood up from his desk.

"Before you leave you will drink a vial of the potion you have in front of you. From what I have observed," his mouth thinned in a sneer, "only two of you have brewed the potion correctly. I want and essay from each of you on what you did wrong. You _may not_ leave my classroom until you have consumed your vial of potion."

Harry heard Ron yelp; Hermione had obviously kicked him to get his attention.

"Close your eyes when you drink it, then look at me straight away," Hermione whispered.

Ron looked confused but nodded in assent. Harry ignored them both, siphoning off a vial of his potion and pinching his nose.

After the students had drunk their vials, Snape, the sickening sneer still spread across his face, turned back to the board. Above the ingredients for the potion they'd just concocted, he wrote, in large, bold letters: _Essence of Aphrodite_.

He then turned, and said something to the class as they left that he had never before been heard to utter. Contempt saturating his voice, he called after them, "Have a _fun_week."

_**----------  
**_

Ginny felt her feet hitting the cold floor of the hallway leading towards the dungeons. Somehow she was conscious of her movement but was not at all controlling where she was going. She never looked forward to days like these, and luckily they only happened every so often. Nevertheless, she had to do it, she told herself, she and Hermione had discussed the matter at length the night before, and her best friend had given her the advice she had been expecting.

_You don't feel for him what he feels for you_. Hermione's voice echoed in her head. _Don't put it off. It will only be harder._

She sighed. Neville had asked her out only a month ago, but he had gotten too attached, too quickly. She had never wanted it to go as far as it went – she knew that deep down she still only thought of him as a friend; she was quite sure, by the way he acted around her, he clearly considered her to be much more than that. She had to do it today, when she met him after his potions class, when they had morning break.

Relationships were getting to be troublesome. She'd been with Dean for last summer and most of this year; they'd only just broken up when Neville asked her out. She and Neville had enjoyed their time together, but all the time she was with him, she was never completely comfortable. _And besides, he simply isn't Harry..._

An explosion up the corridor jarred her from her thoughts. Someone was sprinting up the hallway – Ginny felt herself knocked to the ground. A very startled and disheveled Seamus helped her to her feet. His eyes were wide, and, not even acknowledging that he had just knocked her off her feet, he continued running – up the hallway and the staircase beyond.

Ginny had hardly time to think before another figure came bounding up the hallway. Dean, Ginny realized, was running faster than she'd ever seen him run before, and there was a look in his eyes Ginny had only seen on him months before, when she'd first dated him.

"Come back, Seamus, come back! You know you're the only man for me!" she heard Dean shout, following Seamus up the stairs.

_Merlin's beard,_ she thought to herself, _what happened?_ She suppressed a giggle and broke into a run, down the corridor towards Snape's classroom.

A small rumbling sound startled the smile off of Ginny's face as she noticed small chips of stone falling from the ceiling. A large hulking figure, roughly the size of a small whale with legs, came waddling quickly after Dean, bawling it's eyes out. "Wait, Dean, I love you!!" Millicent Bulstrode wailed, pushing Ginny out of the way and hurling her backwards about twenty feet, skidding on a bit of ice forming on the stone floor.

Ginny would have thought this weird, if when she stood back up and rounded the corner she had not seen the scene before her.

The foyer before Snape's classroom was in chaos. The pair that caught her attention the first were Crabbe and Goyle – a rather difficult pair to miss. Crabbe was snogging Goyle in the far corner – Ginny wasn't sure whether to laugh or vomit. Pansy Parkinson was sitting outside the door to Snape's office, wailing over her 'poor sweetheart, Severus.'

The Hufflepuffs seemed to be having the most fun – Terry Boot was begging Hannah Abbott to go out with him, while Hannah wasn't listening to him and had herself wrapped around Ernie's leg; Ernie was ignoring both of them and was embracing Anthony Goldstein.

_Either this is a dream, or Snape's finally made them all snap. I have to find Hermione. _

Hermione was difficult to spot, but Ginny's eyes quickly found Ron and Harry, who had their wands drawn and aimed at each other. Hermione was standing off to the side of them, a glazed look in her eyes, staring avidly at Ron. Ginny moved to stand between them, so that neither could attack immediately.

Ron threw a disgusted look at his sister. "Move, Ginny, this is between me and Harry."

Ginny heard Harry snarl.

"_She's mine, Harry,_" Ron taunted, pushing Ginny out of the way. The two were now standing only a few inches apart. By the looks in their eyes, it looked like they were ready to kill each other. Ginny reached into her robes, fingering her wand. But sparks didn't fly – fists did, and soon Ron and Harry were rolling around on the ground with their hands at each other's throats.

"Hermione, what in the hell is going on?" Ginny demanded, finally overwhelmed by the chaos around her. Hermione's eyes were still unfocused, she was gazing in the direction of Ron but she didn't answer. Ginny knelt so that her face was immediately in front of Hermione's, blocking her view of Ron.

"Whasawhosanani? Ginny? Oh, I didn't see you there…" Hermione trailed off, craning her neck to see around the red haired girl. When Ginny's head moved in tandem with Hermione's, it seemed to break the trance that had overtaken her, if even for a second.

"Oh, hey Ginny? I found this, it has your name on it. I hope Harry doesn't hurt Ron…" Hermione was once again focused on the brawl between her two admirers. Ginny snatched the parchment from her hands, which was indeed bore her name. Opening it she saw Hermione's handwriting, and wondered why her friend couldn't just tell her what was in the note.

_Ginny,_

_You're coming down to see Neville, so I know you'll catch whatever is bound to erupt after class. Snape had us brewing an older Love Potion – Essence of Aphrodite. If I did it right I should be back to normal before midnight tonight. Meet me in my room then. Oh, and don't judge ANY of the sixth years by their actions today. They're not in their right minds._

_Hermione_

Harry and Ron both lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious: Ron with a black eye and broken nose, Harry with a deep gash across his face and what looked like a bite mark on his left arm.

Ginny stood to leave. If Hermione's note was true (and Hermione had never lied to her before), then every sixth year had fallen in love with the first person they'd laid eyes upon.

_That explains a lot, _Ginny thought as she passed Neville and Draco, embracing in the corner opposite Crabbe and Goyle. The sight now seemed ridiculously funny. She needed to find Colin and his camera, quickly.

----------

Hermione was already waiting in her room for Ginny, that night as she climbed the staircase, having been entertained long enough. Ron and Harry's fight was still going on, and Dean was still chasing Seamus. Seamus, Ginny inferred, had botched the potion so badly that he hadn't fallen in love with anyone.

The distant look was gone from Hermione's eyes, she had several textbooks out on the floor of her dormitory, and there was a large piece of parchment before her.

"Back to normal?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Yes. I skimped on the dragonroot powder – I determined that it would make the potion wear off faster. I can't lose a days work because of some silly little love potion," Hermione said, somewhat bitterly. It was then, Ginny noticed, that Hermione was _not _doing homework, but writing a letter to Ron.

"No, certainly not. You'd never skip homework because of a love potion. But I see that my brother doesn't need a potion, does he?"

Hermione blushed, but was quick to keep the focus off her own love life, "So, when are you going to break it to Neville?"

"As soon as he gets his hands off of Draco."

Ginny fidgeted. She hadn't told Hermione _why_she was so anxious to break up with Neville. Every dream she'd had for the past five years had been of the same man – a man she knew was going to be hers someday. She'd thought that maybe, _maybe_, by working her way closer and closer to him she'd be able to get a reaction from him, but not once had he even flinched, shown the slightest hint of jealousy. _At that point, it was time for Plan B... _

Hermione looked up from her letter to Ron. "Gin – what's up? You aren't having second thoughts about breaking up with Neville, are you?"

Before she could help herself, Ginny told Hermione Granger something she hadn't spoken aloud in almost two years.

"Hermione… I think I still like Harry."

Hermione stared at her best friend for a moment, unable to speak.

"And as of right now," Ginny said, "he's trying to kill my brother, over _you_."

----------

Ginny found herself traipsing down to the library early the next morning, before the sun had even peaked over the horizon, assuming she would be the first one out of bed and would therefore avoid the scenes she'd observed in the common room and hallways the previous day.

Ginny was worried - Hermione wanted to brew an antidote to the potion Harry had concocted – something that would be rather difficult to brew as they couldn't be entirely sure how strong a love potion he had managed to brew himself – or when it would wear off on its own.

Ginny did not find the common room deserted however – Seamus had evidently decided to sleep on the couch rather than attempt to enter his dormitory, where a love struck Dean was inevitably waiting for him. His eyes flashed open when he heard Ginny's footsteps on the staircase, and Ginny heard him breath a sigh of relief when he saw that it was her, and not Dean, walking into the common room.

The hallways were not quite so quiet – about halfway to the library, Ginny caught sight of Peeves, running – or floating rather – with an air of fright about him. _The Bloody Baron, maybe? _Ginny got her answer – a few moments later – not Filch, not the Bloody Baron, but Parvati was chasing Peeves down the hallway.

_The poltergeist… at least she didn't fall in love with her sister,_ Ginny thought to herself. Just then, as if Fate could read Ginny's mind, Padma turned the corner, chasing her sister.

"Come back Parvati! You're so much more than a sister to me! I need you!"

Madam Pince had just arrived at the Library when Ginny walked in, and appeared rather surprised to see her. Rather than work under the hawk-like stares of the librarian, Ginny quickly found the book Hermione had directed her to retrieve and left, again passing Padma and Parvati (still chasing Peeves) on the way back to the common room.

Hermione was waiting for her in her dormitory as she had been the night before, but instead of textbooks and parchment, she had a cauldron and a number of vials sitting before her on the floor. Ginny spotted several ingredients on the ground that were most definitely _not _from the student cupboards.

"Been raiding Snape's stores again?"

"Of course. Had to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak, but I think he'd give me anything I asked right now," catching the redness of Ginny's face as she said this, she quickly added, "but trust me, when this wears off, you'll get your chance at him."

"You really think so?" Ginny asked, still uneasy. _Potion interactions are difficult to predict..._

"_Of course it will_. Ginny, think about it – Harry's been obsessing over you for a month now. Have you not noticed him staring at you from across the common room?"

Ginny fidgeted, but answered, "I have, sometimes."

"Right. And _I_ think, about a year ago, after Cho, once you got his spot on the Quidditch team, he stopped seeing you as Ron's little sister. With as powerful a witch as you are – I think Harry sees you as more an equal than he even sees me or Ron. You two would be good for each other. But first, we need to fix this mess Snape's gotten us into. This," Hermione said, turning to a page towards the middle of the book Ginny retrieved, "is an Amorous Reversal Potion – it's a universal Love Potion breaker." She missed Ginny's sharp intake of breath. "I need to brew up quite a bit – let's fix the Gryffindors anyway. I don't mind if the Hufflepuffs stay a soap opera, but it would be nice if Seamus would stop cowering at the sight of Dean. The only problem is… we need a week to brew the antidote. Valentine's Day is going to be an absolute _nightmare_."

----------

And so it was. Three days later, Valentine's Day was upon them, and every sixth year enrolled in Potions was either seen running from an eager admirer, or _was_ the admirer. Few Gryffindors could get in and out of their common room: Millicent Bullstrode blocked the portrait of the Fat Lady, bellowing out a poem she had written for Dean – _Ode on a Gryffindor_.

Several of the professors gave up teaching all together. It was as bad as their second year – when Lockhart's dwarven cupids had made Valentine's day so very eventful. Outbursts disrupted all of their classes, ending as a disgruntled Professor McGonagall told Dean Thomas he would be spending the rest of the year in detention if he didn't keep his hands off of Seamus.

Even Professor Snape seemed to receive a taste of his own medicine, as that morning at breakfast, he received a large pink Valentine and a set of ever-burning scented candles from Pansy. Snape's little joke became a very big joke between the other teachers when Mandy Brocklehurst stood before the staff table, begging Severus for 'private' potions lessons.

"Ugh, worst Valentine's day ever," Ginny declared, sitting with Hermione that night before a simmering cauldron. They were alone again – Parvati was still out, presumably chasing Peeves, and last Ginny had seen, Lavendar was snogging Neville under one of the tables in the Great Hall. Neville, as it turned out, botched his Potion so badly that he was falling in love with a new person every few minutes.

Hermione groaned from her bed, the potion now stirring itself. "You didn't have your brother and Harry swooning over you all day. I finally got them to stop trying to hex each other every five minutes – told them that if they ever wanted me to speak to them again they needed to start being nice to each other. They spent the whole day competing for my affection. No one really noticed – I think I'm the only sixth year that's _not_still under the influence of this damn potion. It was great – I've never seen your brother try to answer so many of the professors' questions in my life – all just trying to impress me."

"Yeah," Ginny said, "it's almost a shame you have to make him snap out of it in another day or two."

"Yeah… true…" Hermione said, looking a little crestfallen. "But… then I'll have the old Ron back, and if this all works, you might get Harry out of the deal, too. Just try to survive the match against Hufflepuff tomorrow, and this potion should be ready."

----------

The wind whipped past Harry's face, tossing his hair in the breeze. The day was absolutely perfect for Quidditch.

"Let's go," Harry heard Katie Bell tell the team. He only half heard her – his mind was elsewhere, in the stands with his darling Hermione.

Kicking off the ground, soaring into the air, he turned his Firebolt to steal a glimpse of her in the stands, but he couldn't find her face in the crowd. At this, Harry threw a hateful glance in the direction of their goal posts – just to be sure Ron was indeed flying there, playing keeper, and not off some where snogging Hermione.

_Got to catch the Snitch fast, impress Hermione. Can't stall too long, give that git Ron too many chances to show off. _

The game had begun – of which Harry was unaware, he was soaring overhead, lost in thought. _Hermione has such beautiful hair. _The game progressed: Gryffindor 50, Hufflepuff 0. Ron was evidently playing one of his best games, and as four of the seven Hufflepuff players were sixth years, including their seeker, one of their beaters, and two of their chasers, Gryffindor stood a good chance of winning, assuming the Snitch found Harry.

Four hours passed; darkness was upon them. Ron was still playing what was turning into the best game of his life, and between Ginny and Katie chasing for them, Gryffindor now had almost a three hundred point lead.

_I can't wait to see Hermione's eyes after the game. I live for the moments when those eyes meet mine. I just want to wrap my arms around her and forget about everything else. _

Neither team's seeker was very into the game. Susan Bones, the new Hufflepuff seeker this year, would have been easy enough for Harry to beat to the Snitch, as she spent her whole time flying behind one of the Hufflepuff Chasers – but Harry was still scanning the Gryffindor stands, looking for Hermione.

In his mind's eye he could picture her face, her hair, _her beautiful eyes._ _I've told her how I feel, several times this week. Now all I need to do is show her that I'm better than that prat, Ron, she dumps him, and then I show her how a girl as wonderful as her deserves to be treated._

Katie called a time out. Harry wouldn't have noticed, but Ginny flew up to his height and dragged his broom back down to the Quidditch pitch.

"This is getting ridiculous," Katie told the team, panting and placing her hands on her knees. "Ron you're doing amazing," Harry glared at the red haired keeper, "and I'll grant that this is probably the best way to guarantee the cup for us, but if this game doesn't end soon we're going to be falling asleep on our brooms. Harry, … HARRY!"

Harry was jarred from his thoughts, celebrating with Hermione after he'd gotten the snitch.

"Harry, what the hell? Let's get this over with already." Madam Hooch's whistle ended Katie's speech, most of which Harry hadn't heard anyway.

Harry flew back up to his spot, overlooking the entire Quidditch pitch. Again, his mind was blank. He couldn't quite remember why he was flying, out in the cold breeze on this February evening. He couldn't remember why he was wearing these ugly scarlet robes, hovering this high up. Every ounce of his mind, his entire focus was Hermione, on how he wanted to hold her, on how he wanted to kiss her. He didn't even notice the scarlet blur flying up at him from the pitch below.

"Harry! Snap out of it!" Katie called up at him when she got close enough. He had the same glazed look in his eyes she had seen on Hermione's face earlier that week.

"Harry, where are you?" Katie asked, hesitantly.

"Quidditch pitch," Harry mumbled, again scanning the stands for Hermione.

"And what are you doing?"

"Looking for Hermione."

"Harry, she's not here. She skipped the match to keep you and Ron from doing anything stupid."

_She's not here?_Harry's mind screamed, a mix of surprise and fury on his face._Then what am I doing up here?_ His mind was racing – a bit faster that usual. His thoughts flashed back to the Gryffindor common room, _where, right now, Hermione's probably with some other guy._He forgot for a moment that Ron was still up protecting the Gryffindor goal posts. The only feeling he was conscious of was pure and unabated jealousy. He couldn't feel anything physically – he couldn't feel his hands, slipping from the broom. He couldn't feel his skin, the freezing breeze on the way down, or the soft turf, hitting him like cement when he slammed into it. He did hear a girl scream, just before he fell, but to whom it belonged, he couldn't tell. Darkness enveloped him. His last thoughts were, unexpectedly, not of Hermione. As his conscious mind subsided and he felt himself thinking clearly, his mind drifted elsewhere...

----------

"Do you think he's going to be okay?" Hermione asked, a bit of anxiety in her voice.

"He'll be fine. Just needs a bit of rest and to drink the rest of this medicine. We don't want him paralyzed now, do we?" Madam Pomfrey said, passing Ginny as she left the room. Ginny was still shivering – the game had just ended.

"Hey!" Hermione said, upon seeing her friend enter. "How'd we do?" she asked, tentatively.

"We won, of course. After Harry fell, Katie had me sub in as seeker and the game was over in a few minutes. Four hundred and ninety to thirty – that _has _to be a record. And Ron was playing amazing – did you tell him if he missed a goal you were never going to speak to him or something? He didn't seem as dazed as the others."

Hermione shook her head. "Nah, he doesn't have that look that several of the others have – the glazed over eyes – but he's still coming on strong. Hah – when I went to put Harry's cloak back I found a bunch of poems he's been writing for me… they're actually pretty good, but…"

"Is Harry going to be okay?" Ginny asked.

"Madam Pomfrey says so. Ginny, I know its not nice for me to wish injury upon Harry, but this worked better than we could have planned. He's not due to wake until tomorrow – when the rest of the school is at Hogsmeade. You just have to be waiting here with the antidote when he wakes up – tell him that I said he needed to drink it and he'll drink it straight away."

"And you think this will work?"

"I'll be dosing Ron tomorrow as well - we'll know for sure after that if it works or not."

----------

Harry tried to open his eyes but couldn't find the strength. Every muscle in his body was sore and he couldn't remember anything. Slowly, light peeked in from between his eye lids – he was in the hospital wing. With awareness came another thought – _Hermione_. As his consciousness returned, the only thought or image in his mind was Hermione's face – her perfect eyes, her amazing hair. And yet when he forced himself to sit up, hoping to see Hermione standing eagerly by his bedside awaiting this moment when he would awaken, he saw instead Ginevra Weasley.

"Hi Ginny, where's Hermione." _I can't wait to see Hermione's face, to see the look in her eyes when she sees that I'm all right._

"Umm… I'm not sure Harry, but she told me to give you this. She said she wants you to drink it." Ginny handed him a goblet full of potion.

_A drink from Hermione!_ Harry drank half the goblet in one swallow. His mind spun, the bed in the Hospital Wing was falling away from him, he was drifting, floating in a blurry nothingness that enveloped him – and just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, and he was again sitting in his hospital bed, the rest of the potion now spilled on his sheets.

Ginny stood before him, gazing at him expectantly. And then he saw no more.

----------

The Gryffindor common room was nearly empty - every third year and higher had left for Hogsmeade. Only four had opted to stay home from this visit. Two, Harry and Ginny, were in the Hospital Wing, and the two others were now sitting very close to each other near the fireplace - Ron and Hermione.

Hermione somehow couldn't bring herself to give Ron the antidote to the love potion. He had paid her more attention in the past week than he had the whole rest of the year. Granted between Quidditch, classes, and the unimaginably difficult load of homework they had received this year - Hermione was rather glad that she wasn't Ron's first priority and obsession all day, every day. Deep down, whatever made Ron happy made her happy, but still... she couldn't keep from feeling that Ron seemed hesitant at times to show Hermione how he felt toward her.

Even after they had admitted their feelings to each other last fall, Ron almost seemed embarrassed to have her as his girlfriend. Hermione knew that this was ridiculous - but Ron did seem to distance himself from her a bit whenever Harry or one of his other friends approached.

This week had been different - every time she'd seen Ron he'd been all over her; he'd spent more time playing her 'boyfriend' this week than he ever had in their lives. And Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to give that up. _I can't believe how selfish I'm being. But flowers, poetry? Couldn't he pay this much attention all the time?_

But as Ron began to read her his newest poem, Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty. _It's time. It isn't fair for me to take advantage of Ron like this._

It had been all planned out - usually, Hermione had read, victims of love potions were reluctant to drink an antidote if offered (I mean really, who wants to get rid of the feelings inspired by love, even if those feelings are the effects of a potion?). She had worked gone to the kitchens the night before to visit Dobby - and arranged to have lunch brought up to the common room for them that day. Dobby had also agreed to slip the antidote into Ron's drink.

Ron now had his arms around her, his cheek against hers and was whispering in her ear, "Hermione, you are the world to me. I'm so glad you wanted to stay home from Hogsmeade so that we could spend some time together, just the two of us."

She felt his lips on her neck, on her cheek, on her lips. _Why did it take a love potion for him to try to sweep me off my feet?_

Dobby delivered the lunch as planned, and gave Hermione a tiny wink with one of his gigantic eyelids upon handing Ron his drink.

As soon as the house elf had left, Hermione raised her goblet. "To us," she said, trying to force back the tears forming behind her eyes.

"To us," Ron replied, and he touched the goblet to his lips, downing its contents in a single gulp.

Ron reached out for Hermione's hand, took it, and kissed it. "Today has been perfect." His eyes looked deep into hers... _His eyes..._

Before she could stop herself, Hermione had tackled Ron and was snogging him like they hadn't since that one magical day last fall when the worst fight they'd ever had ended in perfect silence...

Ron wrapped his arms around her, not at all surprised by Hermione's rather odd behavior.

Suddenly she pulled back and was glaring at him; Ron attempted a hurt look.

"What's wrong dear?" Ron asked, sounding as innocent as possible. _She figured it out._

"You're not under a love potion, are you Ronald Weasley?" Hermione said, feigning fury.

"Well... er... I _am _in love... the potion didn't really have much effect on that... Just made me want to kill Harry for about twelve hours..."

Hermione's eyes widened, "_You_ were one of the two people Professor Snape was talking about??? You did the potion right? Oh Ron," she said, throwing her arms around his neck. Ron, having just sat up from the last time she threw herself at him, seemed more surprised this time than the last.

She pulled back again and hit him, rather forcibly, in the arm. Ron yelped. Hermione's eyes narrowed but she sat in silence for a moment, working things over in her mind. _If he hasn't been under a love potion since Monday, then the entire week he's been _pretending _to be under one._

Hermione's expression softened. "Ron, why didn't you say something when it wore off! Everything would've been back to normal, and, and... and you could have _helped_ me, trying to brew that antidote for Harry! Why on earth did you want the whole world to think you were under a spell?"

Ron shifted uncomfortably where he sat. "Well, I mean, er... Hermione, let me explain... I guess it's just that... I mean... I know I haven't made the world's best boyfriend over the last few months. Okay, that's an understatement, I've made a really crappy boyfriend. I just... I finally worked up the courage to tell you how I felt..."

"_Harry_ told me how you felt, Ronald. You're just lucky I didn't maul you to death after I found out that you'd liked me for three years and hadn't done anything about it."

"Well that's just it. I didn't want anything to change. Well I wanted _something _to change, but I was really afraid I'd mess everything up and screw up our friendship. I figured, if you thought I was under a love potion, then I could do everything I'd ever wanted to, and if I messed up, you couldn't hold it against me and whenever you thought I'd snapped out of it we could go back to being the way we were a week ago."

Hermione suppressed a grin. "So... how long ago did you write those poems I found in your dormitory?"

Ron looked up at her. Her eyes were amazingly beautiful, and the anger he'd seen in them moments before was completely gone. "I started them about a year ago - I've been working on them off and on since then."

For the third time that after noon, Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron's neck, although slowly enough that this time he did not have to flinch in fear that she was on the verge of strangling him.

"So everything - the heart shaped chocolates, the roses, the poems, that was all _really _from you and not the work of some potion?"

Ron blushed, only a shade lighter than his hair. "Well, I stole the chocolates from Goyle. I mean, he was just going to give them to Crabbe, so I just sorta figured... Wait, so you're not mad?"

Hermione glared at him, again feigning anger that she didn't feel at all. "I'm furious. You _owe _me, Ronald Weasley, for half a year of being embarrassed to be my boyfriend."

Ron now looked hurt, and the expression wasn't forced. "Hermione," he said, brushing his hand against her cheek and again drawing her eyes to meet his, "I was _never_embarrassed to be your boyfriend. After the potion wore off, I finally got the chance to relax and act towards you _exactly _how I felt inside. Before now, I was just... scared. Do you think I can ever make it up to you?"

"With what I've seen this week, I'd say there is a good possibility you can." She giggled and kissed him. He pulled back after a few minutes.

"Now that the charade is over, do you think we can go visit Harry? I promise not to try to kill him."

----------

Ron and Hermione made their way to the hospital wing. There they found Ginny sitting by the edge of Harry's bed, reading; Harry was still unconscious, and there was a potion stain on his sheets.

Ron was the first to ask a question - Hermione was examining the potion stain. "Hey Ginny - has Harry been up at all yet?"

Ginny gave a small nod. "He was awake for a short bit - I gave him the antidote but he fell right back asleep."

Hermione looked up at this, a frown forming. "That's odd. The antidote has a fairly powerful stimulant in it - he shouldn't have fallen asleep afterwards."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know what else Madam Pomphrey is dosing him with."

Hermione looked back at the sheets. _The potion spill is a dark violet - the antidote we brewed was a grey-green. Best make sure before I start accusing Ginny of anything, though._

"He spilled some of his potion I see."

Ginny looked up from her book to glance at the sheets. "Yeah, he didn't have a lot of strength when he was awake - he didn't take all of it. You said that only a small amount was needed to break the love potion, right?"

Hermione hand slipped down to her side, towards her wand. _I should have seen it coming. We were already all on love potions and Ginny has wanted Harry for so long - I doubt she even really thinks she did anything wrong.  
_  
"Ginny - what potion did you give Harry, exactly? The potion on the sheets here isn't Amorous Reversal."

Ginny had her wand out before Hermione could react. "Figured it out, have you Hermione? I'm surprised his best friends didn't noticed the whole time - but you told me so yourself; Harry's been absolutely obsessed with me these past few weeks. I needed to re-dose him with my own potion, and I couldn't very well give him the antidote and ruin all of my hard work."

Hermione was staring at Ginny wide-eyed. _She already has her wand out - I could get mine but not before she got a spell off - and in these close quarters she'd probably have the both of us on the ground before Ron could react. _"And how do think Harry's going to feel when he finds out? You can't just keep him drugged for the rest of your life?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised at you Hermione. What happens when you keep someone on love potions long term?"

Hermione shook her head. _I have to think of something - she can't do this to Harry, it isn't right._ "It isn't mentioned in any of the potion books. Wouldn't you build up resistance to it like anything else?"

Ron rolled his eyes and started to move in front of Hermione. "Probably, but those books that Ginny and Mum read would have you think that after about a year on a love potion the feelings become permanent. It's a tripe, but there it is."

Hermione looked gratefully at Ron - he was blocking Ginny's view of her. _Now if I can just slowly go for my wand..._

Ginny snarled. "It's not a tripe; it's true. Harry and I were meant to be together, and if it means obliviating you both so that you don't ruin our future together, well, then so be..." She was cut off as a spell caught her in the back and she fell to the floor.

Hermione looked out the door, surprised to see Luna come skipping in the door.

"I came to check on Harry. I do hope he's alright after the fall, and after the chthon that's controlling Ginevra tried to poison him. I think we may need to exorcise the spirit from Ginevra before she causes Harry any more harm. It's been there for about a month, you know, and so few people can recognize the signs."

Ron and Hermione shared a fearful glance. _I may be angry at Ginny over what she did to Harry, but what is Luna planning? _"Luna, how does one exercise a chthon."

Luna grinned wickedly, an unnerving sight with her eyes wide and distant. "Why, by giving it what it deserves, of course."

----------

Classes Monday were surprisingly normal, or as normal as can be expected at Hogwarts. Potions had lasted for ten minutes until Snape locked himself in his office to escape the advances of Mandy and Pansy. He then took twenty points from Gryffindor for not brewing up the antidote for everyone. Unfortunately, locked in his office as he was, no one heard him.

On their way to the Great Hall, the Gryffindor sixth years - all of whom had been cured by Hermione's antidote - met up with Luna, who they'd not seen since Harry left the hospital wing the previous afternoon. "Luna, did you manage to exorcise the... chthon from Ginny?"

Luna nodded quickly, her eyes never leaving the Quibbler she was reading. "Oh yes, but I think you'll be able to see for yourselves. Although, it make take some time before the chthon leaves completely - they have been known to hold on to their victims for some time if they like their host."

Luna skipped on ahead. Harry stared at Luna's retreating form, then shook himself and asked his friends, "What exactly did Luna do?"

Ron frowned. "She said something about an eye for an eye, but I'm not sure what she was talking about."

They heard laughter ahead of them, coming from the Great Hall. Luna was standing back from the doorway, smirking. Her eyes seemed more focused than normal. "One chthon exorcised. I may have to send this one to Daddy for the paper; there hasn't been a chthon sighting outside of the Mediterranean in decades."

The trio looked about the Great Hall and immediately spotted the source of the commotion. Ginny was sitting at the Slytherin table, with a gorilla on each arm.

"Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron asked disgustedly.

Hermione shook her head, laughing to herself. _An eye for an eye, indeed._

----------

A/N: I could have continued, but I don't particularly like the universe in this story - too much has changed in five years in both the fandom and with the publishing of HBP and DH. And I wrote this before Amorentia was ever mentioned in the books, so I had to make up my own potions. I've been getting requests to finish it for some time, although I doubt I finished it the way people wanted me to.

I have a few more one-shots to post, and at least one of them should be up by the end of the day.


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